Growth of Reliance Retail in Odisha higher than national average: Kamadeba Mohanty

From remote villages to bustling cities, Reliance Retail has become a household name in Odisha. In an exclusive conversation with Orissa POST, Kamadeba Mohanty, Chief Operating Officer, Grocery Retail & JioMart, Reliance Retail, opens up about the brand’s rapid growth in the state, customer behaviour in smaller towns, future expansion strategies, and how Reliance is solving both retail and agricultural supply chain challenges. Having been with the group since the early days of its retail journey, Mohanty shares his experience so far and aspiration to build customer-first infrastructure across the state. Excerpts...

- DEEPAK KUMAR DEHURY, OP

How do you assess Reliance Retail’s current presence in Odisha?

There has been substantial growth in Reliance Retail’s operations in Odisha. We have multiple stores across the state and many more in the pipeline, especially in the grocery sector. Today, our grocery operations are active in every part of India, including Jammu and the Northeast. Odisha is no exception—we’re growing faster here than the national average.

Could you share the scale of your store network in Odisha and nationally?

We currently have around 3,300 stores across India, with new ones opening almost every day. In Odisha, we operate about 10 premium ‘Signature’ stores, like the one at Gopabandhu Square in Bhubaneswar, along with several small-format grocery outlets under the ‘Smart Bazaar’ brands. Out of the state’s 30 districts, 25 already have Smart Bazaar outlets, and property deals have been signed in the remaining five.

What explains this growth surge in Odisha?